We're reopening on Tuesday, June 22! The first-floor bookstore and exhibition space will be open to the public, and our Research Center and the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center (JHC) archive will be available by appointment.
Tracing Acadian ancestry presents unique challenges for family historians. This three-week online course will provide you with the historical context, records, and research strategies to take your Acadian ancestry back to Canada and beyond. Live broadcasts start July 7.
New! Catholic Mount Auburn Cemetery Burials, 1854-1980
This new two-volume database, containing over 46,000 searchable records and names, is based on research compiled by William A. McEvoy. “Burials” lists information for each person in the cemetery including birth years and places, parent’s names, street addresses at death, cause of death, and the location of the burial plot. “Civil War and Military” identifies burials for soldiers who served in the Civil War and others, including military units and service dates.
Stephen Bown with The Company: The Rise and Fall of the Hudson's Bay Empire
Join us on June 28 at 6 p.m. ET, for an illustrated presentation about Canada's famous Hudson's Bay Company. Follow its rise from a small 1670 trading business backed by Royal Charter through its intersections as a political and economic force with indigenous, French, and American settlers on both sides of the 49th parallel.
The city of Colorado Springs, the seat of El Paso County, is located in central Colorado. The city has made a burials database for two cemeteries—Evergreen and Fairview—available on its website. Click the Burial Search button to begin. The database can be searched by last and/or first name. Limit your search to a specific cemetery by selecting the cemetery name from the dropdown list. The data fields in the search results are name, birth date, passing date, burial date, grave location information, and a cemetery map icon. Click the icon to explore the cemetery map. You will need to zoom in to view the names on the graves.
The Bookstore at NEHGS has dropped prices on more than 40 titles! Shop family genealogies, guide books, genealogical essays, coffee table books, and more at discounts up to 50%.
Archaeologists Dig Hilltop Over Plymouth Rock One Last Time “Archaeologists are giving a grassy hilltop overlooking iconic Plymouth Rock one last look before a historical park is built to commemorate the Pilgrims and the Indigenous people who once called it home.”
Father’s Day 2021 Not until 1972—58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official—did the day honoring fathers became a nationwide holiday in the United States.
The Weekly Genealogist Survey
Last week's survey asked whether your ancestors were involved with organized sports as adults. We received 2,784 responses. The results are:
9%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors was paid to play, coach, or manage a sport professionally.
27%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors played on, coached, or managed an adult amateur team--i.e. a town recreational league, a work league, etc.
5%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors played on, coached, or managed a military college team or military team.
12%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors played on, coached, or managed a college team.
4%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors was a referee or umpire.
1%, Yes, at least one of my ancestors was a sports announcer or broadcaster.
9%, An ancestor was involved in organized sports in a way not mentioned above.
5%, I am involved in organized sports.
55%, To the best of my knowledge, my ancestors were not involved in organized sports as adults.
This week's question asks if you have been inspired by your ancestors. Take the survey now
Want to share your thoughts on the survey with us? We are always happy to hear from our readers. Email us at weeklygenealogist@nehgs.org. Responses may be edited for clarity and length and featured in a future newsletter.
Readers Respond: Organized Sports
By Jean Powers, Senior Editor
Last week's survey asked about ancestors involved with organized sports as adults. Thank you to everyone who replied. Below is a selection of reader responses.
Lynn Gaulin, North Attleboro, Massachusetts: My late husband was a member of an Army divisional football team in Occupied Japan in 1948. By being on the team, he was able to see much more of the country than most enlisted men—plus he saw General MacArthur from time to time.
Sarah Johnson, Shirley, Massachusetts: My grandfather, Richard Johnson, had to quit school after eighth grade to work at the local glass factory. However, his high school in Shadyside, Ohio, included him in their "away" team. He was listed as "Dude" Johnson on the roster.
Roxanne Richardson, Minneapolis, Minnesota: My grandmother, Ella (Buss) Rood, was a competitive swimmer and a coach in the 1920s. She was featured in the San Diego Union newspaper as a “crack swimmer” on September 7, 1924, and her role as swim coach for the women’s athletics department at San Diego State College (now University of San Diego) was noted in the October 18, 1923, edition.
Steve Snell, Cape Canaveral, Florida: My grandfather, Walter Henry Snell, played a partial season for the Boston Red Sox in 1913. After his short stint with the Red Sox, he played in the minors and the Cape Cod League. Sports continued to play an important role in Walter’s life; he coached football, basketball, and baseball at Brown University, where he was Chair of the Botany Department, and he was Athletic Director there during WWII. Walter used to say that he may be the only ex-Major Leaguer with both a PhD and a Phi Beta Kappa key.
Betty Norman, Irving, Texas: My father, Harold Skelton, won a competition for non-stop bicyclists in the 1930s in Anderson, South Carolina. He held the world record for non-stop bicycling for twenty years. As a child, I was inspired by his accomplishments and walked for miles on a pair of hand-made stilts, setting my own personal "record."
Jim Halpin, Worcester Massachusetts: My grandfather, John J. Halpin, was a member of a tug-of-war team in the 1890s. (Tug-of-war was an Olympic sport 1900-1920.) As anchor of the St. Mary's Catholic Total Abstinence team in Malden, Massachusetts, he won several trophies and medals and was featured in the May 1892 Malden Evening News.
Virtual Research Program
Summer Institute for Advanced Researchers: Managing an Oral History Project
Oral history projects require a methodical approach. This semester will help you organize your individual, family, or community oral history project, encourage meaningful and productive conversations, record interviews, and share your results with generations to come. Open to current American Ancestors members only.
Watch Genealogist Drew Bartley discuss his research on the Tilden Family of Lebanon, N.H., his long association with NEHGS, his work on the Early Vermont Settlers to 1784 Study Project, and more in a new video from the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists.
